A Knight in Tin Armor
by Raquelita
Summary: DG was never one for fairytales or knights in shining armor, but when she is expected to find a suitor she starts to wonder if she has a choice. It's then she realizes that what she really wants is a knight made of tin. oneshot CDG fluff. enjoy!


**A/N: …this is pure, unadulterated fluff. I was watching 'ever after' and I felt the urge to spout some romance. But hey, we all need that sometimes.**

DG had never really believed in happily ever afters. She reasoned that her life was far too ordinary for things like that – after all, it was pretty hard to find a prince in between helping on the farm, working at the diner and going to school. But then she'd also realized that even if she could have a fairytale, she wouldn't want it. She had never been much of a damsel in distress, and she certainly didn't want some perfectly coifed prince riding in on a white horse to save her from danger. She could save herself, and she would hate to be in a situation where being needy, pathetic and helpless was called for. So she had quietly tucked away the idea.

Then she had ended up in The O.Z., only to discover that she was a real princess – and only to be discovering at the moment that happily ever after was just about required.

"I have to do WHAT?" she yelled.

"Darling please," her mother replied, sitting down behind a desk and motioning her to the chair in front of it, "calm down."

"I won't calm down," DG said, starting to pace and feeling as though the affect was somewhat lost in the rustling of her gown, "Mother, you can't just … I mean I …. I've only been here a few months! You can't just spring this on me."

"I'm afraid I just did," the queen looked slightly amused at her daughter's reaction, "It is tradition that the Crown Princess begin courting at the age of 21 to be married by 22. With Az's health being what it is you know you've taken on her position. And today is your 21st birthday."

"But what if I don't want to start 'courting'? I mean, do I get a choice or anything? And why didn't someone tell me this sooner?"

"DG, many sacrifices come with being royalty. But please do not despair. Suitors will present themselves at the ball hosted in your honor and you may choose one. We're certainly not picking out a husband for you. There will be many options."

The queen got up and walked over to her daughter, placing a hand on her face, "Please darling, at least give these men a chance. I gave your father one, and we turned out all right didn't we?"

DG tried to smile for her mother's sake, "I'll give them a chance," she said.

--

_Shit, _DG thought to herself, walking quickly back to her room, _shit shit shit. What am I supposed to do? Choose a suitor – this isn't the court of France or something. How can I even do that when I – _

Her thoughts were interrupted as she ran directly into Cain.

"Hey princess," he said, "How was your meeting with your mother?"

"How is it you always know exactly where I am every hour of the day?" DG asked.

"Part of the job," he replied with a smirk, "But you're looking less than happy. Something wrong?"

Heaving a sigh, DG sat down against the wall. Cain followed suit and waited patiently for her to explain.

"My mother just told me that I have to choose a suitor at the ball tonight," she said in a low voice, "I mean I don't know how they do things here. But back home … it wouldn't be like this at all. I wouldn't have had a group of men paraded in front of me for my choosing, and I wouldn't have had rules about marriage. I have to court him for one annual, I have to be married by 22. It just isn't fair."

"Well this is the way it's been done for ages," Cain replied. DG gave him a look that clearly said _I don't care._ "I know it's not fair," he added, "But hey, you never know. You could end up with your knight in shining armor."

DG shook her head, "I never wanted that," she replied, allowing herself to meet his gaze, "Because I'm not some fairytale princess. I don't want someone to carry me off into the sunset while I swoon in his arms. I just want …."

_You_, said the voice in her head, _Say it. Tell him._

"What?" Cain asked, prompting her out of her thoughts.

"I don't know," DG said, exhaling a sigh, "I'm just not the princess type I guess. White knights have never been my style."

Getting up, she smoothed out her dress, "I guess I should go get ready for the ball. This is turning into one hell of a birthday."

"Oh yeah," Cain said, standing up and giving her a smile, "I almost forgot to tell you. Happy birthday."

With a final smile, DG walked away.

--

Wyatt Cain wanted to smack his head against a wall.

_How could I have forgotten about that damn rule?_ He berated himself as he watched DG go, _I should've known. I should never have let myself…_

He shook his head. Now was not the time for thoughts like that. In fact, he was pretty sure he could never allow himself to have thoughts like that again. It had been easy to forget on the quest for the emerald, and even when he and DG were alone together, that she was actually the crown princess of The O.Z. He had let his guard down, and now he was paying for it.

_Smart move there, falling in love with the princess._

_I'm not in love with her! She's like a daughter to me._

_You haven't had one fatherly thought toward that girl since you first laid eyes on her._

_Shut up. I can't deal with this right now. _

_So when will you deal with it – at her wedding?_

Cain let out a frustrated growl. This was impossible.

This was his own idiotic mistake. Falling for DG was something he should have worked against with every ounce of his will power. But when he was with her it was so easy to forget that she was off-limits. He was being reminded now though, and he would be reminded tonight in a big way.

--

DG eyed herself in the mirror, feeling more than a little uncomfortable. She felt like the whole 'white dress' thing should really be reserved for weddings, but in The O.Z. it was tradition to wear a white gown on your 21st birthday. Luckily after a lot of begging with the seamstresses, she had managed to keep it rather simple. The gown fell slightly off her shoulders and fanned into a sleek a-line, made of something like satin. DG supposed it made her feel pretty, but it also made her feel like she was getting married. And that was not something she wanted to be thinking about at all.

Since her arrival in The O.Z. there was really only one person she had ever considered, and he was currently her body guard. More to the point, she was pretty damn sure he wasn't interested. So maybe this was for the best – this whole 'find some random nobleman and marry him within 365 days' thing. After all, you could fall in love with a lot of different people … right?

Just then, there was a knock on her door. Taking a deep breath and securing a diamond tiara in her hair and a bracelet on her wrist, she opened the door.

Cain was standing there waiting for her, dressed in his formal attire and looking just a little more uncomfortable than she felt. But she couldn't help but notice the way his eyes lit up just a little when he saw her. _Probably just fatherly pride or something, _she told herself as butterflies jumped in her stomach, _stop acting like a lovesick schoolgirl. _

"Wow kid," he said, "You look …," he cleared his throat, "You look great."

DG smiled, "You don't look so bad yourself," she replied, "But I'm guessing you hate being in that tux."

A grimace crossed Cain's face, "You have no idea," he replied. Then, collecting himself, he gave her a smile and offered his arm, "Come on, I've got a ball to escort you to."

DG laughed at his formal manner and together they headed for the ballroom. They walked side by side, and she tried to ignore the way her skin tingled whenever his hand brushed against her thigh through the thin fabric. Whether it was on accident or not – and whether he knew what it was doing to her – she didn't know. But the smirk on his face told her he might have some idea.

When they arrived, two doormen opened the doors and revealed the large marble staircase leading down to the dance floor. As far as DG was concerned, there was nothing more terrifying than descending that monstrous thing in heels.

"Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of The Outer Zone," came a booming voice.

"That's our cue kid," Cain muttered into her ear, and DG realized that she'd been frozen.

Giving a smile that she hoped radiated confidence, she clung tightly to Cain's arm as they walked down the stairs to the cheers of the guests.

"Take it easy, you're gonna cut off my circulation," Cain whispered.

DG laughed nervously and relaxed her grip, "Sorry," she replied, smile still in place.

He gave her arm a gentle squeeze as they reached the bottom, and then, with a bow, departed to his station behind her throne.

Throne. DG couldn't honestly believe she had one of those. It seemed absolutely ridiculous. But nonetheless, after a ceremonial dance with her father and the Ozian version of 'happy birthday', she was seated on its velvet cushion – with a line of men in front of her so long she felt like screaming.

One by one, they were presented. One by one, she danced with them. And one by one, they all blurred together. DG knew that if she were any other girl, this would be a dream come true. But every single man was exactly the same – he carried a noble title, he had sparkling eyes and perfect hair, and he was … vapid. Of course she hated to be one to judge on first impressions, but some of them were just outright ridiculous. And the worst part was that not a single one of them seemed to understand her sense of humor. She tried to make a joke and received merely a polite nod.

_Cain would've laughed at that_, she found herself thinking, _Cain wouldn't be treating me like some sort of porcelain doll. _

The more she thought those things, the harder it became to dance. All she wanted was to dance with him – her tin man. She found herself looking over at him far more often than she should be. But she also noticed that whenever she did that, he was looking at her too. And not with a fatherly protectiveness, but with something that resembled … jealousy. That alone made her heart swell.

After being seated and having her hand kissed by what she reasoned to be at least the twentieth man, DG leaned slightly over to Cain.

"Get me the hell out of here," she said through the clenched teeth of a smile, "I think I'm going to kill someone."

She could tell that Cain was trying to hide his laughter.

"Pardon me," he said as the next suitor approached DG, "The princess is feeling rather overheated and requests that you wait just a few moments."

"And I'm desperately in need of some air," DG added, widening her eyes at Cain.

"Of course your highness, I will accompany you to the balcony."

The two of them slipped away, and once the voices and music had faded behind closed doors, DG let out a frustrated yell.

"I really can't take it anymore," she said, "I swear if I have to dance with one more empty-headed buffoon I won't survive it."

"None of those men your knight in shining armor?" Cain asked.

DG looked at him for a moment and realized that he was serious.

She shook her head, "Not one," she replied, taking a few steps closer to him, "I told you Cain, I'm not the knight in shining armor type."

With those words she put his hand around her waist and held his other hand in her own, "Care to dance?" she asked.

He laughed, "I thought you were sick of that."

"Only because I didn't like my partners," she replied.

Slowly, they began a waltz. DG felt immediately at home in his arms, twirling around the balcony to the faded music. She knew at that moment that she couldn't marry someone else. Whether or not it was possible for some to fall in love with more than one person, she knew that she could only ever love one.

And right now that one was looking at her as though she were the only thing in the world he ever wanted to see.

"DG," he began, his voice hoarse, "About what you said earlier … how knights in shining armor aren't really your thing."

"Yeah?" she prompted him.

"Well, what would you rather have?"

She took a deep breath. It was now or never – damn the consequences.

"I'd rather have a knight made of tin," she said quietly.

They had stopped dancing, but stayed in each other's arms.

"DG …" Cain began. But instead of finishing his sentence, he just leaned down and covered her mouth with a kiss, pressing her against him. DG felt her knees go weak and thought that if it weren't for his strong arms, she might just collapse. She could feel shivers running down her spine, but she knew that they were from nothing but absolute happiness.

She had never been one for fairytales. But a princess and her knight of tin … that was a twist she could go for.

Meanwhile, the Queen quietly slid the curtain back into place. She'd seen enough to know her daughter was in love. And there really was nothing wrong with a tin man … after all, Ahamo hadn't exactly worn shining armor.

**The End.**

**A/N: I hope you liked it!! Reviews make my day**


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